If you’re interested in Sir Robert Bryson Hall II, a.k.a Logic, then you definitely have heard of his new album, Supermarket. If you’re an avid bookworm, then you have probably heard of Logic too, thanks to his first novel, Supermarket. That’s right: Logic the rapper has joined the exclusive club of musicians who have released books, and to further stand out from this unique club, he has released a whole album to go along with it.
Supermarket, both the book and the album, are still decent works on their own. However if you want to get the full experience, the two need to go hand in hand. Logic describes the album like a soundtrack: something that amplifies the emotions and ideas put forth in a movie, without giving away major plot developments. With all this said, how is Supermarket, the novel?
Coming from a rapper, as a first novel Supermarket is impressive. The story, which is intriguing and fluid, features Flynn, a man without purpose who is really into writing, but has never completed any of his initiatives. After his girlfriend Lola breaks up with him, Flynn decides to take definitive action and start a new novel, with the absolute goal of finishing it. He decides to write a story that takes place within a supermarket, yet to be able to capture the environment as best as possible, he decides to get a job at a supermarket as well. All this leads into Flynn leading two different lives as he tries to keep writing his novel in his own time while working at the supermarket during the day.
The story flows even though the narrator simply describes his day working at the supermarket or repeating his daily routine outside of the supermarket. The references to American culture allow the reader to feel more connected to this literary world, with song references by Tame Impala or discussions about Cap’n Crunch further fleshing out the character of Flynn as well. The plot never slows down to a grinding halt, which kept me going much longer than I originally planned, and the plot twist at the end doesn’t hurt either, with the stakes for Flynn and the ones closest to him growing with each and every page.
As impressive as this all is, the plot is also predictable if you’ve read any other cult hits in literature or watched a lot of movies as well. The influences from other novels are unashamedly there. Logic himself has even stated that the desire to write a novel came to him after he binge-read several novels for a long period, challenging himself to write one as well. This lack of originality detracts from the excitement one feels towards the end of the novel, however, it is not a detriment overall, as the similarities only become noticeable to the end.
On the other hand, how is Supermarket, the album? It is definitely something different from Logic’s previous work, swapping out the fast-paced beats and lyrics for something slower and more intimate. For this album, Logic decides to utilize the guitar and the piano, with much simpler drum beats, bringing his lyrics center stage. Highlights from the album are “Bohemian Trapsody”, “DeLorean”, “Baby” as well as “Pretty Young Girl”, where Logic seems to have crafted songs that don’t show himself off, but rather seem to be written for somebody, appearing to be composed for Flynn’s close social circle.
Even though the majority of the album features a more intimate, alternative tone, Logic still sneaks in a little bit of his hip-hop roots, as some of the songs transition into a trap beat, allowing him to sprint into a flurry of lyrics. It is the union of these varied styles that make Supermarket a special album, even though it has left some confused, as it cannot be easily placed on the music genre spectrum.
Yet similar to the book, the album has some shortcomings that stem from this divulgence in style as well. The guitar isn’t played perfectly, where chord changes are noticeable, leading to disconnection from the song. Even though some could argue that including these chord changes are a stylistic choice to create the intimate atmosphere Logic intended, the frequency of these changes is irritating to your ears after a while. On top of this, some of the songs do not seem to align with the themes that are presented in the book, which leads to confusion as one listens to Logic talk about love and then talk about a DeLorean. These songs are still fun to listen to, but it is the fact that they are part of an album that is meant to act as a soundtrack to the book means that they only confuse the audience.
In the end, Logic has done something very special with Supermarket, both the book and the album. The book is fast-paced, thoughtful, and a modern re-envisioning of cult hits from the 80s and 90s, even though at times it seems to reveal its sources of inspiration a bit too much. The album is a brand new side of Logic: simple, yet modern, a combination of alternative and hip-hop. Even though both works are not a major breakthrough in literature or music, if you are interested in Logic’s work or just want to have a unique reading and listening experience, check out Supermarket. •
